Can people stop complaining about DTS?

Not sure where to post but I need to chime in. I love this forum, but a question for all the complainers of DTS not being supported. Did you actually research before you purchased this very expensive equipment? I have read so many people whining “I’m going to return my Sonos” or I’m selling my gear” or “wahhhhhh I’m not buying Sonos unless they give me DTS”. I spent hours researching before I even went to the store to give it a listen. It very clear and in no way hidden that this equipment is geared towards streaming media and music. It clearly states that DTS is not supported. To be honest, I didn’t even know people still watch DVDs! Wait....are VCRs still around too?? People think that Sonos is not listening. I believe they are listening and their answer is NO. They have a very specific brand with one goal in mind. Add music easily throughout your whole home. I think the 5.1 is a bonus but it’s not their claim to fame. I have the 5.1 set up and a couple Play 5s and could not be happier with them. Movies AND Music sound great.
Please stop complaining. If the equipment is not exactly what you want, don’t buy it and please don’t whine that you would buy it “if”. Should I call Apple and tell them I’ll buy thousands of dollars of their brand if they “would simply integrate windows 10” to their interface? Ok, enough venting for 1 day. Phew, that felt good! Bring on the hateful comments, I can handle it.

172 replies

I asked a well known UK Retailer when I bought my Playbase and they told me they had asked Sonos previously as many people ask the same question. I only asked about DTS as my understanding is only DTS, DD and 2 channel PCM can be routed via Optical connection.

I understand that to add DTS to PlayBars and PlayBases would cost Sonos approx. £50 in licensing fees to DTS for each unit updated.

Where did you get your information and is there information available for other audio standards? Do you know if it's common for rates to vary from company to company due to negotiations and such? Do we have any idea what Sonos currently pays in licensing fees in general, not just for audio standards, but for access to music services and use of voice assistant technology?

I understand that to add DTS to PlayBars and PlayBases would cost Sonos approx. £50 in licensing fees to DTS for each unit updated. This would apply for each new unit sold and all previously sold units receiving the updates. Therefore the overall cost to Sonos would be quite substantial and I believe this to be the main stumbling block on providing the update. A bit disappointing when you consider these products are not exactly cheap to purchase and far cheaper brands add DTS as standard.You also have to ask why DTS would charge Sonos £50 a pop when it seems they charge a lower figure to other manufacturers?

I understand that to add DTS to PlayBars and PlayBases would cost Sonos approx. £50 in licensing fees to DTS for each unit updated. This would apply for each new unit sold and all previously sold units receiving the updates. Therefore the overall cost to Sonos would be quite substantial and I believe this to be the main stumbling block on providing the update. A bit disappointing when you consider these products are not exactly cheap to purchase and far cheaper brands add DTS as standard.

Not to cause problems, but I play DTS audio all the time with the my Sonos connect. Run coax digital out of the connect @ fixed volume into the preamp which recognizes and decodes it properly. Feeding the Connect with a subsonic server. Not using a playbar or anything like that, though.

Lol, not beating myself up. It’s interesting to see though, how passionate people are regarding this issue no matter what side of the fence they are on. I didn’t join in on the conversation too much after I posted the question, but I did lurk! What I have concluded, there are 3 types of people that got involved in this conversation; 1- The people that did plenty of research BEFORE they made their purchase. 2- The people who DIDNT do their research before they bought it and were like “wtf” when they got home. 3- The people that “REALLY WANT SONOS” but will not spend a dime on it until they implement the codec. It’s nice that we have such a diverse group in the community!
Let’s see what’s next.....?
Hey Sonos, when we getting that outdoor speaker??? Hahahaha jkjk

You forgot the group of disappointed people wanting to pair a play-1 and a sonos one. And I remember also the poor guy asking for a digital clock in his play-1 because he uses it as a clockradio in his bedroom.

I love the pair of play 5's in my living room, but I simply adore the play 1 in my kitchen.

New Home Theatre product coming soon !
https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/30/sonos-fcc-filing-smart-home-theater-speaker/HDMI would indeed resolve many of the issues of the current PlayBar for some. Sadly this is all too late for us, as Sonos has crossed "the uncrossable line" when they broke faith and bricked our otherwise working Sonos hardware with an OS update last month.

Once you know which of the above you want, then the next step is to go buy all those speakers (so if you want 7.1.2 you need 9 speakers and 1 sub woofer)

Now that you have the speakers, congratulations, these speakers will work with every standard right now and for the next 50 years

The last step is to buy your AVR reciever and this is what does the magic, you just need to get a reciever that is enough to power your speakers and supports all the standards that you want, now in the future when new standards are release all you have to do is buy a new reciever You will never again have to sell or buy new speakers, you just have to get a new receiver if you want to get new standards (and this is cheaper than buying a new playbar)

I should have 5.1 now (playbar + sub + 2x play3), I want to keep it that way, maybe in the future I will take 3 separate speakers, not a playbar...
But, without the playbar, I have no idea where I can buy a good reciever that works with the sonos sub and play 3's.
If Sonos sell those, I didn't know...
Maybe there is a part of this or another forum where I can find info about this, so I can already learn about it before I really need it?

It's not that I don't like Sonos, the play 3's are very good, and the sub is just great. The only problem is I can't play all and/or Sonos app says "sound not supported"...

But I just buy new TV (Philips 65oled873/12), and now the app says "Geluid van tv niet ondersteund" (Sound of tv not supported), think my tv give DTS-HD, I can't change to dolby in settings TV.

The strange thing is, I still have sound from my sonos but if it was not, my Sonos had to go...

Anyway, next time I buy new sound system, it will NOT be Sonos, and the only reasons are, no hdmi, no DTS, my sound system must work with all, I don't want problems if you buy new TV or new blue-ray or whatever just because Sonos don't work with all...

I am not complaining about it, but Sonos has the right to know this, so that's why I post this here...

If you want a system that works with every standard and keeps doing so into the future then you want to buy an independent speaker setup, choose what setup you want first

Once you know which of the above you want, then the next step is to go buy all those speakers (so if you want 7.1.2 you need 9 speakers and 1 sub woofer)

Now that you have the speakers, congratulations, these speakers will work with every standard right now and for the next 50 years

The last step is to buy your AVR reciever and this is what does the magic, you just need to get a reciever that is enough to power your speakers and supports all the standards that you want, now in the future when new standards are release all you have to do is buy a new reciever You will never again have to sell or buy new speakers, you just have to get a new receiver if you want to get new standards (and this is cheaper than buying a new playbar)

I don't weigh on the debate much but DTS support would make my setup perfect. My 4K bluray player doesn't convert DTS-HD to 5.1. I hadn't thought of upgrading some of my old DVDs and some don't have ATMOS which the player converts OK.

Should have passed DD 5.1 from TV but your bluray or source may have been the DTS only part. Of course always a concern when it comes to the many soundbars that have been made with the toslink Dolby Digital standard.

But I just buy new TV (Philips 65oled873/12), and now the app says "Geluid van tv niet ondersteund" (Sound of tv not supported), think my tv give DTS-HD, I can't change to dolby in settings TV.

The strange thing is, I still have sound from my sonos but if it was not, my Sonos had to go...

Anyway, next time I buy new sound system, it will NOT be Sonos, and the only reasons are, no hdmi, no DTS, my sound system must work with all, I don't want problems if you buy new TV or new blue-ray or whatever just because Sonos don't work with all...

I am not complaining about it, but Sonos has the right to know this, so that's why I post this here...

Lol, not beating myself up. It’s interesting to see though, how passionate people are regarding this issue no matter what side of the fence they are on. I didn’t join in on the conversation too much after I posted the question, but I did lurk! What I have concluded, there are 3 types of people that got involved in this conversation; 1- The people that did plenty of research BEFORE they made their purchase. 2- The people who DIDNT do their research before they bought it and were like “wtf” when they got home. 3- The people that “REALLY WANT SONOS” but will not spend a dime on it until they implement the codec. It’s nice that we have such a diverse group in the community!
Let’s see what’s next.....?
Hey Sonos, when we getting that outdoor speaker??? Hahahaha jkjk

I beleive the industry failed Sonos. Such as there was obviously a standard set at one point to use dd 5.1 via optical out from tv as a standard. That many tv manufacturers decided to skimp on and leave off.
And there I was thinking that it was Sonos that "skimped" and left DTS (and HDMI) off!

I beleive the industry failed Sonos. Such as there was obviously a standard set at one point to use dd 5.1 via optical out from tv as a standard. That many tv manufacturers decided to skimp on and leave off.

So, the answer to the question posed by this thread is "no".
Well perhaps "no" or "not until the issue is addressed and solved", be that by Sonos or industry standards changing. :D

Given this, can the "Sonos does what I need" brigade stop trying to shut down legitimate topics on these forums? Unfortunately I suspect that answer to this questions is also "No" or "not until everyone agrees with us that Sonos is perfect".

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